a time traveler's experiences (in traveling through time)
by michellejjones
Summary: The Temporal Pokemon's mighty roar echoes through the forest and effectively silences it, before it fades slowly. Time slows to its normal pace, as if the beast of time was never in Unova, as if it hadn't just disappeared through a portal leading Arceus-knows-where, and as if it hadn't just taken the Champion's daughter with it. [AU in which Mallow is Cilan and Iris's daughter.]


**I do not own _Pokemon._ In fact, the only things that are my creations in this work are Cilan and Iris' children, save for Mallow. And, I suppose, the plot. Thank you to I am Lu, also known as pkmncoordinators, for inspiring me to write this. Now, without further ado, here is _a time traveler's experiences (in traveling through time)._**

* * *

 ** _For my teachers;  
All of them._**

...

..

.

 **a time traveler's experiences (in traveling through time).**

 **by clarabella wandering.**

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..

...

 _(Twenty-fifth of November, 2034.  
_ _Unova Region. Aspertia City.)_

The air bites at her heels in an unfriendly way, and she takes a big breath before releasing it, watching in mild fascination as it blows out white puffs around her before disappearing like a Ghost-type. Her dark green hair is braided back messily, nowhere near as beautiful as how her mother used to do it, but it will have to do. Her boots are muddy already, the right one slightly loose (she should tighten it, really), covered in snow, and she hugs her black (faux, of course) leather jacket closer to her before hiking up the black pants around her waist. What her mother would say about all this black, she can only imagine.

 _"Twenty feet, triple-seven."_

The voice startles her, but she keeps moving, not wanting to stop because if she does, she might stay rooted to the spot. "Copy that." The line goes silent, and she keeps walking until his voice comes back on the speakers. "I don't see it?" She whispers, afraid to disturb the eery silence of the atmosphere.

 _"You're standing right next to it, idiot. Some sister I have."_

She pulls a face, about to berate her younger brother, but thinks better of it. "Wish me luck, kid."

 _"Don't have to; you're the one who met Kyurem and lived."_

"He's a sweetheart, like Mom said. Just misunderstood. Sort of like Paul, I think."

 _"See you soon."_ He laughs.

"See you." Shaking her head, she slides a pokeball off her belt and releases the Pokemon inside: Zoroark. He eyes her steadily, and she nods at him firmly. She releases Garchomp next. They are her only two Pokemon that are not Grass-types. Garchomp -Gible, then- was her first Pokemon, a gift from her parents. "Are you ready?" She asks them quietly, and they nod.

Zoroark points to an area that looks more tangled than a Tangela, and nods towards Garchomp expectantly. Garchomp steps forward and cuts the thick vines that cover the area, before stepping through cautiously, ready to protect its partner at all costs. Next comes the trainer herself, followed by an equally cautious Zoroark.

 _"You, my friend,"_ She hears Zoroark say, _"are completely crazy."_

"Takes one to know one," she shrugs. Tapping the band on her wrist, she waits until the screen shows up on her arm before speaking softly. "Gym Leader Mallow. Full name, Mallow Serenity Griffith Ajagara. Number 777. Date, November twenty-fifth, two thousand and thirty four. People have been reportedly seeing a Pokemon in Unova who strongly resembles the legendary Pokemon, Dialga. Have traced all evidence of where Dialga is currently located to Aspertia City, Unova, specifically an unnamed clearing southwest of the city. If found and all goes well, will send in another report at zero one hundred. If not found, will do the same. If found, and all doesn't go well..." Mallow falters slightly, looking up at her Pokemon who nod encouragingly at her, "...come and find me. Number 777, signing off." She presses a couple buttons and the band on her wrist fades until it matches the color of her skin. Only the occasional green blinking of the light gives away that she's wearing something on her wrist.

Falling silent, Mallow returns her Pokemon to their Pokeballs, before clipping them back onto her waist. She's left her other Pokemon with her brother; She didn't want to run the risk of leaving them behind in such a cold environment. They had cried when she left.

(So had she.)

But what she was doing had to be done, and why not her? After all, her parents were living legends, her family (though not all related by blood), equally so. And she was the Gym Leader who had intensely studied Legendary Pokemon, who had gone to Sinnoh and stayed with its Champion and world-famous five-time bluenette Top Coordinator, climbed Mt. Coronet, and braved the Spear Pillar, just to better understand the history of Legendaries.

"Why not become a Professor?" She had been asked multiple times by her father.

"Because, Dad, I like to cook and teach and battle, too."

"Do all four!" Her mother had suggested.

And so, here Mallow was, doing all four, and then some.

She stalks forward very quietly, half crouched on the ground, her backpack tight around her shoulders, her boots heavy -right one still loose; looser, now, in fact- with snow and mud. She's thankful she's neither terrified nor truly bothered by the cold, like her mother. However, like her father, she still doesn't like it. Warm, tropical weather for her, any day. The air, Mallow detects, has a subtle metallic taste to it. Her father would say it has a "pinch of character to it, just enough that you want to ask, _what is this?"_ and her mother would say: "Cilan, _you_ have a pinch of character to you."

Her parents were something, alright.

She finishes her climb over the hill, and then steps into a meadow full of snow but otherwise empty.

Except.

It isn't empty.

Not really.

There, in the middle, so still Mallow thinks she could paint it, lies a beast of blue and white, standing facing her, eyeing her oh-so-carefully. Only its chest and eyes move, studying her, but no surprise is written across this mighty creature's features. Mallow unconsciously takes a step forward. Only when Dialga's eyes move to her feet does she notice she's done so, and her eyes widen a fraction. Slowly, Mallow approaches the Legendary, and when she's close enough to speak to it without shouting, she reaches out her hand.

Dialga starts, head rearing back like it might attack. Her heart hammering, Mallow carefully schools her expression into a sort-of _I come in peace_ look, before crouching down, one gloved hand reaching out and planting itself in the snow-covered ground, the other resting on one knee. Cocking her head at it, Mallow says softly, "hello."

Dialga matches her tone, and she sees the expectancy in its eyes, like it knows something she doesn't. Mallow studied it and so many other Legendaries for years; She went to Kanto and Kalos and Johto and Sinnoh and Hoenn, and even Alola (by far her favorite). She went to so many regions and met so many people as well as Pokemon, but she still doesn't know much about these beings they call Legendaries. She still doesn't know all too much about Dialga.

"My name is Mallow." She says, and Dialga grunts in acknowledgment. "I've been looking for you." It keeps looking at her, and then in a rush, Mallow realizes it wants to hear more about her. "I'm seventeen, eighteen in two months. My mother is the current Champion of Unova, and my father is the vice president of the Pokemon Connoisseur Association-"

Dialga makes an unpleasant sound at the mention of her parents, and Mallow stills. "Um, my siblings-"

Another unpleasant grunt, this time louder, its eyes flashing. Could it be, Mallow thinks, that Dialga only wants to hear about _her?_ She supposes it's a theory worth testing. "I am the Striaton Gym Leader, along with two of my four other siblings. I specialize in Grass-type Pokemon, though I do enjoy spending time with Pokemon of all types. I plan to enroll in Venus University next year to study the culinary arts, as well as the origins of Legendary and Mythical Pokemon and how they shaped the world around us. I'm to take on a Summer Internship in Alola with Professor Kukui. I, um, was born January seventeenth, am the oldest in my family, and my first Pokemon partner was Gible, now Garchomp. The first Pokemon I ever caught was Zorua, now Zor-"

Dialga's head straightens suddenly, and it rises to its full height.

"-oark." Mallow lamely finishes, standing up suddenly, caught off guard by the massive Pokemon's sudden movement. Dialga's eyes flash pure gold, and she finds herself suddenly stuck as it approaches her, feet rooted to the spot.

Dialga is standing directly in front of her in one easy stride, head staring down at her with an unreadable expression as she stares up in fear. They stand there, the girl and the Legendary, in the middle of a snow-covered meadow, until Mallow remembers her mission. "I came to find you," Mallow says to Dialga, voice much calmer than she feels. "Because people had been reportedly seeing you, and then seeing strange lights afterwards. They say time slowed or sped up. Psychic-types grew aggravated without explanation. I'm here to ask why _you're_ here." Mallow takes a breath, "y-you know. For science."

The Temporal Pokemon's expression doesn't change for a long while, for so long that Mallow thinks she's off the hook, but then something extraordinary happens, something that she can't quite fathom.

Dialga roars, loud and right at her, knocking the wind out of her lungs and sending her flailing like a rag doll. Her right boot, the one that was loose, the one she never stopped to tighten, flies off her foot and lands to the far left of the meadow. In that moment, Mallow truly thinks she's about to die, but then Dialga comes and grabs her by the waist before placing her on his back. A portal in front of them opens, and Dialga flies through it, taking Mallow with it.

The Temporal Pokemon's mighty roar echoes through the forest, reaching Aspertia City and effectively silencing it, before it fades slowly, and time slows to its normal pace, as if the beast of time was never in Unova, as if it hadn't just disappeared through a portal leading Arceus-knows-where, and as if it hadn't just taken the Champion's daughter with it.

The sun sets.

* * *

 _(Twenty-fifth of November, 2013.  
Unova Region. Striaton City.)_

"Is she dead?"

"Arceus, Palkia, and Dialga, Chili, don't be so morbid!"

"Wow, you're one to talk, sir Emo Fringe."

"Oh, Mew, _grow up._ It's fashion, not depression."

"Chili, Cress, if you could just-"

"-you call _that_ piece of junk-"

"-don't even start-"

 _"_ - _BOYS!"_

The voice is so strong and so vibrant, so _familiar,_ that Mallow's eyes fly open, confusion plastered in her irises, and she stares into the face of a very concerned Fraxure, as well as three male faces crowding in on each other to get a glimpse of the girl lying outside their door. "Get out of my way!" The very familiar and demanding voice says, and immediately the boys shuffle away, so fast, in fact, that in that moment they could pass for Ninjasks.

"Bossy," one of the males say, the one that Mallow identifies as Red Hair.

The girl who Mallow still can't pinpoint whips around and says, voice airy, "I'm not bossy. I'm the _boss."  
_

This leads to more bickering, until finally Green Hair and Blue Hair (the other males) decide to bring the Lost Girl Lying At Their Door inside. Green Hair picks her up, and Mallow idly notes that he smells very familiar.

Mallow tries to sit up once placed on their couch, but the girl and the Fraxure don't let her. "No, don't get up." She insists, "stay lying down. Eat this. It'll make you feel better. Cross my heart." Behind the girl, someone laughs fondly, but Mallow ignores it in favor of eating what she hopes will make her vision less fuzzy. Taking a bite, the unknown girl asks, "what's your name?"

Swallowing, she coughs out, "Mallow." She coughs again, "my name's Mallow."

The girl nods, "that's a pretty name! I really like it." She pats Fraxure, "this is my partner, Fraxure. I'm Iris. These idiots here are my best friend, Cilan, and his brothers, Cress and Chili." Iris points to Green Hair, Blue Hair, and Red Hair. "And what you're eating there is some Oran Berries and Persim Berries, to help out with your disorientation and give you some energy. It's got a weird taste. Sorry."

"You should add honey," Mallow says absently. "My mom has made this for me, before. She adds honey to mask the taste."

Iris tilts her head, "huh. That's actually a really good idea. Can't believe I've never thought about it!"

"Iris, right?" Mallow asks, taking another spoonful of the strange concoction.

"Yeah."

"That's my mom's name," Mallow informs, "Iris, I mean."

Iris laughs, "it's a good name!"

Mallow nods, "I agree." Looking up, she blinks to clear her dizzy head before glancing at the Fraxure with a smile. "Come to think of it, she has a Haxorus. You sound a lot like her, to." Mallow pets Fraxure and he sighs, content. She turns her head towards Iris, speaking before her eyes register what she's seeing. "My dad's name is Cilan, actually..." She trails off, her eyes widening and jaw dropping, staring at Iris completely dumbfounded, completely _baffled._

Iris looks exactly like her mother, _the_ Iris Ajagara, Champion of Unova, Greatest Mother In The Cosmos. Sure, this Iris looks a decade or two younger, but Mallow all in al doesn't know what to do about the frankly startling resemblance this girl bears with her mother. And her name is Iris, and she has a Fraxure, and she can make medicine out of berries... and her best friend is a Cilan. Mallow's eyes travel past Iris, to where Cilan is watching the scene with affectionate eyes trained on Iris. He looks like her father, save for the fact that his smile lines aren't as pronounced, his face not as wrinkly. But all at once, Mallow just _knows._ As she looks at Chili and Cress, she _knows_ that these people are, somehow, her family. Her mother and father. Her uncles.

"Is it, now?" Cilan -Green Hair- asks, stepping forward and throwing an arm around Iris casually (she blushes slightly, but nobody notices). "Well then, we might as well be your parents!"

And it's so _innocent,_ so _perfectly timed,_ that all Mallow can do is laugh shakily, rubbing her neck nervously. "Might as well!" Iris takes the bowl from Mallow and heads to the kitchen.

"I'll get you some food," Cress says to her, and follows Iris.

Chili and Cilan sit on the chairs facing the couch, and Cilan sucks in a breath. "Full introductions are in order, I suppose. My name is Cilan Griffith. My brother Cress Griffith followed Iris into the kitchen just now, and this is my brother Chili Griffith." Cilan nods towards Chili.

He leans forward, winks at her, "hi, how are you doing?"

(Mallow holds in the urge to throw up.)

Cilan, in turn, glares at his brother. "Don't flirt, Chili."

"I wasn't flirting!" Chili exclaims, "I was saying hi!"

"You're always flirting." Iris cooly returns as she pokes Cilan. He scoots over, and she sits next to him. "These three are the Striaton Gym Leaders."

"I'm not, anymore," Cilan is quick to interject, but Iris rolls her eyes.

"Don't be a kid, Cilan. Once a Gym Leader, always a Gym Leader." Iris informs him, nudging his arm. He blushes. "I'm known to the public as Iris Ajagara."

Cilan steps in when it becomes clear Iris is willing to leave it at that: "She's a member of the Elite Four, modest as she's being right now. Before that, she was the Opelucid Gym Leader. She's also pursuing a degree in medicine."

"Cilan, shush." Iris narrows her eyes at him, and Cilan grins cheekily, leaning in to whisper something in her ear.

Chili groans loudly. "Arceus above, get a room."

This tears the two apart, and Mallow, though grossed out just a minute ago, feels like punching Chili for what he's just done. "What's your full name? You were out for a while, and we couldn't find a Trainer Passport of any kind." Cilan says, once he's composed himself.

"Yeah, you're even missing a shoe!" Iris exclaims roughly.

Chili winks at her again, "I think it's cute."

Mallow shrinks, and Fraxure growls at Chili.

Cress enters the room and tsks at his younger brother. "Don't harass the girl, Chili. We found her passed out at our front door. The last thing she needs is a twenty-year-old man trying to flirt with her."

"I'm twenty next month," Chili objects.

"The point still stands," Cress waves away Chili's argument as he hands Mallow a pastry and some tea. "Eat, Miss Mallow. Please."

She does, and smiles at him, "it's really good, thanks! Did you put Pecha Berries in this?"

Cress nods, appreciative. "You have good taste."

"I hope to study the culinary arts, among other things."

He beams, "how lovely!" Cress kicks Chili out of his seat, and Chili takes the edge of the sofa that Mallow isn't inhabiting. "So, as my brother was asking, what's your full name? We'll start there."

Mallow feels herself growing pale, her hands growing clammy through the gloves. Taking the gloves off and wringing them, she says, "I, um, it's... ah... S-Serenity. Mallow Serenity. I'm seventeen. Eighteen in two months."

Cress raises an eyebrow, "took you a while, didn't it?"

Mallow nods, "I don't remember that much right now, sorry." An idea strikes her, and she grows confident in her melingerism. "Actually, I don't even remember the date."

"Oh!" Iris perks up, "it's November twenty-fifth. Two thousand thirteen, in case you were wondering." Mallow starts, and falls off the couch. "Arceus!" Iris cries, racing to pick her up. Cilan goes to help her.

"Easy, arcanine," Cilan warns, putting Mallow back on the couch. When all are situated, Cilan says, "you're tired, aren't you?" Slowly, Mallow nods. Her head is spinning, her eyes are burning."How about Iris takes you to her room so you can change into something not-so-dirty and a little more comfortable, and you take a nap? You can use my bed."

"It's fine, Cilan, she can use mine." Iris reassures, and Cilan smiles at her appreciatively. She places an arm around Mallow and Fraxure does the same, all of them walking until they round the corner to the bedroom, out of sight.

* * *

Iris helps Mallow change and redoes her braid, making it loose and nice, easier on the green-haired girl's scalp. "After you take a nice rest," Iris says to Mallow, as she fluffs the bed's pillows, "maybe you'll remember how you got here, and we can help you get home."

Mallow nods, trying not to show her unease with the entire situation. "Thank you, I-Iris."

If Iris notices Mallow's stumble, she doesn't let on. "Of course." Iris says, "sleep for as long as you like." With that, she walks out of the room, and Mallow grabs her backpack before collapsing on the bed.

She takes ten deep breathes before releasing Zoroark and Garchomp, thanking Arceus for their silent appearances and the large room. She takes some snacks out of her bag and gives it to them, before speaking. "We traveled in time."

Zoroark and Garchomp look up at her, not surprised. _"We know."_ Zoroark shrugs, looking at Garchomp before taking another bite of his treat.

"What?"

 _"We were there when Dialga took us through the portal, Mallow. And we were there when your parents found you."_

Garchomp says something, and Mallow doesn't need Zoroark to translate for her to understand it. _Your parents!_

"Arceus, Palkia, and Dialga, how did this happen?" Mallow asks, feeling panic rise in her chest. "Why did Dialga do this? These are my parents, it's two thousand thirteen! Uncle Ash hasn't even beat a league for the first time! He's, what, in Kalos right now? Fighting the Elite Four? Oh my Mew, this is ridiculous. He's nowhere near Pokemon Master yet. My mom isn't Champion, my parents aren't even _dating,_ uncle Max is just now challenging the league again, I... I don't... I can't..."

 _"For the love of Arceus, breathe, Mallow."_ Zoroark tells his trainer. Garchomp approaches Mallow and nuzzles her kindly. _"Garchomp's right. Take a nap. We'll do the same thing. When you wake up, we'll talk about this and then deal with your parents. We'll fix it."_

Garchomp nods, and grunts. Mallow knows what this means, too: _We always do._ Nodding, she crawls under the sheets and inhales the scent of the bed. It smells like her mother.

Makes sense. It is, after all, her mother's bed.

* * *

"What were we thinking?" Cilan asks once he, his brothers, and Iris are situated in the kitchen. Iris is sitting on the counter, her feet swinging this way and that, holding Fraxure's pokeball. Her hair is tied back in a ponytail, and she turns to look at him when he speaks.

"What do you mean?" Iris asks, dumbfounded.

"I think what Cilan's referring to, is, why did we let a seventeen-year-old girl named Mallow Serenity, who showed up passed out at our doorstep, into our house, even though we had no idea who she was at the time and still really don't?" Cress clears up Cilan's question, and the green-haired man nods.

"Oh, you're right." Chili whistles, "cute girl Mallow could have been a psychopath."

Iris kicks him.

"Ow!"

She says, "We're good people."

"Iris, we're also _sensible_ people, who do _sensible_ things." Cilan points out.

Iris scoffs, "that's a straight up lie. When we ran off with Ash two years ago, we weren't exactly being sensible."

Cilan pauses.

"... sensible things _sometimes."_ He says, and Iris laughs, leaning into his shoulder. He beams at her.

"But on top of being good people," Iris continues, "I also sort of felt, I don't know, pulled to her? Like I knew her from somewhere..." She shakes her head, "She felt like family, and I, at all costs, help my family." She smiles softly at the three of them, and they smile back.

"I guess I felt the same way," Cress says after a moment.

"I..." Cilan tilts his head, a strange feeling overcoming him, one he won't be able to identify until he holds a baby girl in his arms, many years later. "... I do, too. Absolutely. Somehow, that girl is family."

The kitchen falls silent.

And then, Chili says, "I think you guys are crazy. No way someone that cute is related to you guys. I'm the only cute one in this family."

* * *

 _(Twenty-seventh of November, 2034.  
Unova Region. Pokemon League.)_

 ** _"Gym Leader Mallow."_**

He plays the tape in the meeting room, and it goes silent in one hush.

 ** _"Full name, Mallow Serenity Griffith Ajagara. Number 777. Date, November twenty-fifth, two thousand and thirty four._ _People have been reportedly seeing a Pokemon in Unova who strongly resembles the legendary Pokemon, Dialga..."_**

The woman at the head of the table stirs, straightening, hands folded into her sleeves. The man to her left stares intently at the recording, as if this will somehow solve the problem that has them gathered around a table, drinking coffee and holding lives in their hands on a Sunday.

 ** _"... Dialga is currently located to Aspertia City, Unova, specifically an unnamed clearing southwest of the city..."_**

His sister, Sakura, stirs, as the woman next to her nods.

"That's where we sent her." The woman confirms.

 ** _"...If not found, will do the same..."_**

The woman at the head of the table, Champion Iris Ajagara, bites her lip hard, and blood spills out. Her husband, S-Class Connoisseur Cilan Griffith, reaches his hand underneath the table and rests it on hers, which is sitting atop her lap. Her fingers are cold, and he winces in pain for his wife and daughter. His shoulders sag, his eyes burn. His wife isn't much better.

 ** _"...come and find me."_**

Mace -for that is his name- pauses the recorder and looks up at the room full of Unova's most important leaders. "My sister went missing two days ago and hasn't returned. I'd like to go look for her."

Sakura nods, "me too."

The woman next to Sakura, Ida Jones, head of Unova's G-Men, folds her hands atop the table and stares at the manicured nails for a while. "You're going to do this with or without the G-Men's help, aren't you?"

For the first time, Cilan speaks. "Of course they will. And I'll help them."

Champion Iris also looks up, eyes piercing, shushing the room. "Damn straight. My daughter doesn't just _go missing."_ Her hand tightens around Cilan's. "We raised her better than that."

Ida Jones sighs deeply, "I take it you'll go with them."

Iris narrows her eyes. "Problem, Ida?"

The opposing woman daintily shrugs her shoulders, and if it weren't for the fact that the entire room knew of her capabilities, they would have thought her weak. "Not at all, Madame Champion."

Iris smiles, and through it all, she stands. "That's what I like to hear, Ida. We'll go search tomorrow." Everyone files out of the room, until only Mace is left, Sakura standing outside the door with her parents.

He realizes the recording hasn't ended. Presses the button to finish it. Hears his eldest sister's voice.

 ** _"Number 777, signing off."_**

* * *

 _(Twenty-sixth of November, 2013.  
Unova Region. Striaton City.)_

"Alright, so, Dialga sent us back in time," Mallow says, notepad in front of her as she writes down everything in messy bullet points (her handwriting is messy, unlike both of her parents; inherently _hers)_. "We don't know why; We didn't exactly do anything to make it angry, huh?"

Zoroark shrugs, bored with the subject already, and rolls on his back. Garchomp slaps him. _"Ow!"_ Zoroark cries. _"What?"_

Garchomp mutters something, and Mallow giggles. "I'm with Garchomp. Pay attention."

Zoroark frowns. _"Don't tell me what to do."_

Mallow and Garchomp stick their tongues out at him.

"Right, so, anyway," Mallow says, opening her eyes wide, trying not to fall back asleep; Her mother (not her mother yet, Mallow forces herself to remember) has _very_ comfortable pajamas. "Somehow, we end up at my not-yet-dad's door, where he's living with his brothers and my mom, because, I think at this time, she's studying for her degree in medicine?"

Garchomp nods encouragingly.

She continues: "Yeah, so she's studying at Striaton University, and that's why she's with them. _Anyway,_ we end up at their doorstep, I'm unconscious, you guys aren't. The question is: Why and how did we end up at their front door? My best guess is that Dialga transported us, but there was no mess, and Dialga isn't exactly subtle."

 _"Dialga can transport places."_ Zoroark helpfully points out, staring at the ceiling like he's having an existential crisis.

Mallow beams at her friend, "true! So maybe that's what happened. But then, why this time? And why _here?_ What's happening here, that I need to witness it?"

Garchomp shrugs, and Zoroark mimics his behavior. _"Maybe Dialga's screwing with you."_ Zoroark lazily supplies, and Mallow lets out an exasperated sigh. A knock at the door surprises all three of them, Mallow having just enough time to hide her notepad before Iris is bursting through the door, Cilan trailing behind her, making mad grabs at her wrist and shoulder, to no avail. Once, he almost touches her butt, and he recoils quickly, cheeks burning. Chili is right behind him, and whispers something in Cilan's ear which just makes him blush more. Cress rolls his eyes at the scene.

"You're up!" Iris cries, completely oblivious to what's happening behind her. "See, Cilan, I _told_ you she wasn't still asleep. My sixth sense just knew it."

Cilan jumps, clearing his throat to compose himself. "You don't _have_ a sixth sense."

"Bro," Chili says, "are you stupid? Have you learned nothing from like a thousand years of friendship? Don't _argue_ with Iris Ajagara."

Iris nods, "yeah, Cilan. Don't argue with Iris Ajagara."

Cilan's shoulders slump.

"How'd you sleep?" Cress asks, leaning against the wall. Chili easily makes himself comfortable on Iris's-but-right-now-Mallow's-bed, until Zoroark gets up and pushes him off.

"Really well, thanks!" Mallow exclaims, and everyone can see the energy that has returned to her. "Um, thank you for letting me sleep here. The bed's comfy. And the pajamas are _super_ soft."

Iris nods, "I know, right?" She's about to say more, but then Cilan cuts in, skipping around the room like a little boy in a toy store. "What's up with you? You're acting like a kid."

Cilan shuts down, his face growing upset. "You think I'm a kid?"

Iris rolls her eyes, "Arceus and all things holy, I didn't say you _were_ a kid, I said you were _acting_ like a kid. Although I'm changing my mind right about now..."

He ignores her last jab, instead letting his joy flow back into him. "You have Pokemon! How lovely! So you _are_ a trainer, then!" Mallow blinks. Watches Zoroark roll his eyes and Garchomp watch the four not-so-strangers evenly. "In this case, then, it's Evaluation Time!"

Everyone, including Mallow, groans. Cilan launches into a long winded, limb flailing explanation of why Mallow and her Pokemon are truly complementary to each other, and when he is done, Cress sort of smacks his lips before saying, very dryly, "do you remember anything, Mallow? About what brought you to our door, I mean."

Ah, Mallow thinks. Her parents taught her well; She's spun up at story for their questions, and prays it will suffice.

"I was traveling, to Castelia."

Iris nods, "are you from there?"

Mallow nods, "yes." She takes a breath, "I was on my to visit my parents; They live on the outskirts of Castelia."

"Alright, then," Iris tilts her head, large eyes boring into hers, and Mallow finds it strange to be the same age as her mother. They have the same eyes; Maybe not the same color, but the same innocent-yet-knowing stare, piercing and startling. Mallow knows that look well. She sees it in the mirror every morning. "So what happened in Striaton?"

The green-haired girl (good Lord, she's a perfect mix of her parents; How the two before her haven't noticed yet bothers her) sucks in a breath, "I was cornered."

Everyone in the room stills.

"... Cornered, how?" Chili asks cautiously.

Cilan sits at the edge of the bed, and reaches towards Garchomp without realizing, who easily lets Cilan pet him. Mallow hopes Cilan doesn't notice; Garchomp isn't a very trusting creature, and Cilan's already deduced this. Garchomp so easily letting Cilan pet it could set off something in Cilan's mind, a sort-of _something's not right_ feeling that could evolve into _I have to look into this._

"Cornered, like," Mallow swallows, recalling the memory of when she really _was_ cornered, around three years ago. Fourteen and terrified, three boys had found her and threatened to do terrible things, had started to _do_ terrible things to her. That's when her nagging feeling that maybe the world _wasn't_ all lollipops and rainbows was proved true. "Like, three guys backed me in a corner and told me a girl shouldn't be traveling alone, or bad things might happen to me." She feels tears threatening to spill, and begins to rock back and forth as the memory becomes stronger. "They pinned me against the wall and started to... um, they took my Pokeballs, and I called and called for help, but no one came, we were too far from anyone..."

Cress, who has shrunk into himself, says quietly, "you don't have to speak about it, Ms. Mallow. I know how hard this can be."

Mallow shakes her head, to clear it. "I kicked one in the crotch when I got the chance, and let Garchomp out. I, um, don't remember the rest."

The bedroom is silent, save for the breaths everyone takes. Eventually, though, Cilan rests a hand on Mallow's shoulder, and all at once, Mallow wishes she were in her own time, where her dad had a deeper voice and glasses and smile lines, so that she could burrow into his shoulder and never let go.

But she can't.

And so, she doesn't.

"They're assholes, Mallow," Cilan says with a fire in his eyes. Mallow feels herself start; Her father _never_ curses. "They aren't deserving to be called human, and we're going to find them and let them know that." He smiles reassuringly at the girl before him. "We'll get you home, too." Cilan stands, off the bed, running a hand through his hair, making it wild and disheveled.

Mallow looks to Iris who, strangely enough, likes very worried for Mallow at the same time as she looks very jealous of her, a strange combination that sends the green-haired girl reeling. Her mother, jealous of _her?_ Mallow shakes her head. Impossible, she's imagining things. "I-" Iris starts, but then stops. "Yes." She says, shaking her head, and then the jealousy is gone, replaced by worry. "Cilan's right! No need to worry."

Mallow almost says, _you sound like aunt Dawn,_ but bites her tongue just in time. Chili nods, too, and follows his brother and friend out the door until only Cress is left. "You're not making that up."

 _Yes, I am,_ Mallow says, but then realizes she isn't, not really. Sure, she's added some details, but the experience is still real, the feelings still painful and shameful. Her mother would slap her if she heard Mallow say that _("Not shameful. It is not and never will be your fault.")_. "How do you know?" Mallow asks.

Cress shrugs, flipping the hair out of his eyes. "For one, you're shaking." He watches her look down at her hands, finds that she is indeed shaking; Her whole body is. "And Garchomp there looks pretty bothered by that memory, too."

Mallow raises an eyebrow, taking deep breathes to control her breathing. "Why are you bringing this up?"

"I don't want you to feel alone, Ms. Mallow."

"Mr. Griffith-"

"-call me Cress-"

"-call me Mallow," she replies, and Cress smiles softly. "Cress," she begins again, "why do you think I'd feel alone?"

"Because I was in an abusive relationship, and even after I got out of it, I felt alone." He looks at her, and her heart hammers, "I don't want anyone to feel that way."

She's heard stories; From uncle Chili and aunt Burgundy, mostly, sometimes from Georgia and rarely, from Cress himself. He spoke to her a lot after her incident, but never really went into detail. He was quiet and fairly secretive to begin with; Afterwards, he was even more quiet. It took months for his brothers to realize what exactly had gone on in Cress' relationship. So yes, she'd heard stories, she'd even heard them from her uncle Cress of the future, but she'd never heard them this way.

She thinks back and realizes Cress had gotten out of his relationship only a year ago. Her shock must register to him as her taking in the information of his abuse, because Cress shuffles around awkwardly, something Mallow had never seen him do. "You're not alone, Mallow."

The girl swallows. Tugs at Iris's pajamas. "Thank you, Cress. I'll remember that."

She means it.

* * *

It's twelve in the morning when Mallow finds Iris sitting on the recliner, watching reruns of a very '13 show called **_Taskforce Y._** "Hi." Mallow says, quietly.

Iris's shoulders bristle.

Ah, Mallow thinks. So she _was_ correct. Sitting on the couch, Mallow sucks a breath to broach the subject at hand. "You like d-Cilan, don't you?"

Iris promptly falls of the recliner.

 _"What?"_ Iris hisses at Mallow, "how did you know?"

(Because in the future you're married.)

"No denial, huh?" Mallow asks, raising a brow at her mother-but-not-yet.

Iris sits back on the recliner, composing herself. "A Zubat would know I like him, but it would take it a few days to come to that conclusion," she says, wringing her long hair as she tucks her legs underneath her, "Cilan knows too, I think."

"How do you know that?"

She squints, her walls coming back up, something that Mallow is unaccustomed too; This is her mother, and her mother never had her walls up around Mallow. Now, however, she's on edge; They're not mother-daughter yet. They're acquaintances, and Mallow realizes she really has no right to be imposing upon Iris like this. "I'm not stupid. I'm an Elite Four member and former Gym Leader for a reason."

The opposing girl blinks, and, in his pokeball, Garchomp seems to be laughing. "Right." Mallow says. "Well, I think you too are cute. I hope you guys get together!" She winks, grabbing the pillow and cover she'd brought. "I'm rooting for you."

Iris stares, dumbfounded, as Mallow lies on the couch, pulling a cover over herself, and resting her head on the pillow. "W-what are you doing?" She tries.

"Sleeping. I'm not going to steal your room. I'm a decent person."

(So, yes, she did, in fact, inherit her mother's sass. Deal with it.)

The purple-haired Unovan slowly nods, before standing and stretching. "I was jealous of you, for a couple seconds, back there," Iris admits, shame clouding her features. "I'm a terrible person, I know. I was jealous because of how Cilan was speaking to you, I guess." She turns to Mallow, desperate, "I'm so petty, and such a _kid!_ Please forgive me!'

Cocking her head, confusion clouds Mallow's features. "You're jealous because he was treating me like his daughter?"

"He was not!" Iris is quick to defend.

"He put his hand on my shoulder and smiled at me like a dad, m-Iris." Mallow curses herself; She'll slip soon, and then what will happen? "He doesn't like me. _You,_ on the other hand..." She smiles slowly, "I think he's a little bit in love with _you."_

Iris stares, jaw dropping, eyes popping out of her head, and Mallow holds in a triumphant laugh, because for the first time in her life, she's gotten the upperhand over her mother. Lying back down, Mallow says, "goodnight, Iris Ajagara."

"Goodnight, Mallow Serenity."

She hears Iris pad out, and Mallow falls asleep.

* * *

 _(First of December, 2034.  
_ _Unova Region. Aspertia City.)_

Footsteps sound through the mountainside, six of them human and two of them belonging to Pokemon. Champion Iris Ajagara and her partner, Haxorus, are in the front, attempting to track the Champion's lost daughter's footprints, but days have passed since she went missing and their hearts are sinking. Her husband, Cilan Griffith, is behind her, looking at his surroundings with the keen eye he's famous for. Their son, Mace, is next to him, making sure they follow Mallow's movements exactly for the day she disappeared.

Sakura is a few steps behind, her Stoutland sniffing the ground next to her. The twins, Rose and Vervain, are behind them, their bird Pokemon -a male and female Unfezant- are perched on each of their shoulders, taking a rest from their looking for Mallow.

Iris stops walking, standing straight up, at the same time that Stoutland barks and Mace says, "we're here! This is where I last spoke to her."

Everyone stops, until Vervain says, his skin shining in sweat, "what are we waiting for?" He and his Unfezant step forward, her feathered breast puffed and proud. He clambers through the vines and into the meadow. The snow's melting, leaving a gray ugly slush that makes him scrunch his nose. His mother comes through next, hands joined with Cilan's.

"We'll check out the left," she says to her son, "you and Rose take the middle, kid." Turning to Mace and Sakura, she gestures towards the right of the meadow, and with that, they set off in their perspective directions. When they are out of earshot, Iris says to her husband, "are you worried?"

"That we won't find her?" His shoulders slump, and he pushes up his glasses; She can see the bags under his eyes, the stress that is mounted on his shoulders. "Yes. That she can't handle herself? Of course not. Mallow is the most capable young woman I know." He smiles softly, "reminds me of her mother."

Iris smiles up at her extremely tall husband (in reality, she's just extremely short), and links her arm through his tightly, "we-we'll find her. We have to, right?"

"Of course, Iris." He bows down to kiss her cheek, "of c-"

He trips.

Cilan falls, and Haxorus, who had been behind them, makes a startled sound and reaches for his trainer's husband. Iris falls next to him, calling her husband's name. He hits his head, and their children run over just in time to watch him sit up, Iris scolding him and rubbing the red that's showing on the top of his skull. "Dad?" Rose asks cautiously, and Cilan looks up.

"I'm alright, sweetheart," he says, pulling something out from where he's sitting. "Now, let's find out what I tripped-"

(It's a shoe.)

"-on."


End file.
